Electronic gaming machines (“EGMs”) are generally well known and have been relatively popular, and profitable, for a number of years. Such machines can be configured to provide a variety of casino or entertainment games, including for example, mechanical or electromechanical slot-type matching games, video games or electronic casino games, such as video poker, blackjack, keno, roulette, etc. It is generally known for EGMs to incorporate a programmable processor and memory for electronically storing game programs and data. Such memory can include, for example, primary storage, such as random access memory (RAM) and secondary, non-volatile storage such as flash memory.
It is a general requirement in many regulated environments that all non-volatile memory or storage be either write-protected or that it only be written to at approved times and for approved purposes during use. While some non-volatile storage can incorporate write-protection as part of its construction and/or the specification for a standard storage interface or means, many do not. Accordingly, a means of ensuring appropriate and required write-protection when using such storage devices would expand the selection of storage devices suitable for EGMs, including many which are desirable for reasons of power, speed, reliability, storage space or economics.
Developments in electronic data transmission and storage in recent years has additionally led to the development of serial advanced technology attachment (“SATA”) as an interface for connecting the programmable processor to mass storage devices. SATA offers several advantages over older Parallel ATA (“PATA”)/IDE interfaces, including, for example, reduced cable size and cost (e.g. seven conductors instead of 40 or 80), native hot swapping, faster data transfer through higher signaling rates (600 Mbytes/s), and more efficient transfer through an (optional) I/O queuing protocol. Such developments have lead to SATA replacing older PATA/IDE bus interfaces in electronic devices.
Additionally, as games played on EGMs have been becoming increasingly more sophisticated in recent years, they generally require more storage space for game programs, graphics, sound, video or other multi-media content. Thus, there is a need for additional secure non-volatile storage devices for use with such machines. Further, as unauthorized changes to the contents of such a device could result in significant risk to a gaming establishment, there is a strong need that such devices be protected. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a system and method for providing secure non-volatile storage in connection with an electronic gaming machine that can use a SATA interface to protect the storage device from unauthorized commands.